Design a Horror Style Text Effect with Dirt and Splatter Texture in Photoshop

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In this tutorial, I will show you the processes I used in creating this horror style text effect with Dirt and Splatter Texture in Photoshop. I’ve got the inspiration from the game “Prototype” title typography and decided to have a bit experiment with it myself.

Along the way, we will be using a lot of layer blending options, image adjustments, selection techniques, custom brushsets painting and filter effects. This is an intermediate level tutorial and beginners may find it a bit tricky to complete, but why not have a try :)

Here is a preview of the final effect for this tutorial: (click to enlarge)

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Step 1

In order to maxmise the effect, the choice of font is quite important here. For me I tend to use a Bold, Clean Font from at the start, simply because they are easy to manipulate and stylise. So go head and use the font we have just downloaded and type some text onto the canvas: (Hint: you can use Ctrl + T free transform tool to adjust the size of the text)

Step 2

On this text layer, apply the following layer blending options:

General Blending

Drop Shadow

Inner Shadow

Bevel and Emboss

Contour

Gradient Overlay

Stroke

and you will have the following effect:

Step 3

Load the selection of the text layer by holding down the Ctrl key and left click the thumbnail image of the text layer on the layer palette:

Step 4

Maintaining the selection, create a new layer on top of the text layer and name it “Dirt Spray”, load the Dirt Spray brushset into Photoshop, and use the different brushes in this set, paint on the new layer.

You will see because we have the selection enable, the dirt appears within the selection:

and here is the effect I have after a bit painting with the dirt brush:

Step 5

Now we can add some background textures to make the effect a bit richer. Load the “Stroke and Splatter” brushset into Photoshop, create a new layer called “texture” just above the background layer, select the brushes from this set to paint over the new layer: (I chose the red colour)

Also you can use the splatter brushset for additional effect.

Now we can add some more decorations onto the text. I decided to add some curvy lines . To do this, create a new layer called “lines” and grab the Pen Tool, create the following working path on this “lines” layer:

And right0-click and choose the “Stroke Path” option, as shown below:

Then select the option “Brush” and tick the “Simulate Pressure” option (Make sure set the brush size to 16px, with 100% hardness). Use the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl + T) and free transform it as shown below:

Duplicate this “lines” layer a few times, on each duplicated layer, free tranform it to different sizes. Here is what I have after the duplication and free transformation:

Optional: You can further enhance this effect by duplicating some more layers of the “lines” layer, and drag them on top of the text layer. Here is what I have after moving them above the text layer:

Step 6

To create some uneven light effect, we can add a new layer on top of all previous layer, grab a soft round brush (I chose 150px) and select the White colour, do some single-clicks on the spot you would like to highlight:

Change the layer blending mode to “Overlay” and you will have the following effect:

I further added some more background textures by using the splatter brushsets and here is what I have after the paintings:

Step 7

For some final adjustments, I decided to flatten the image (make sure before you do so, save a copy of the non-flattened one first), and duplicate the background layer once and desaturate the duplicated layer, go to filter > sharpen > smart sharpen and apply the following settings:

And add a new layer on top of the duplicated layer, grab a big soft brush and paint some colour onto it:

Change the layer blending mode to “Color” and you will have the following effect

Add the following two adjustment layers on top of all previous layers by going into “Layer > Adjustment Layer >…”:

Curves

Colour Balance

and you will have the following final effect: (click to enlarge)

That’s it for this tutorial! Hope you enjoy it drop me a comment if you have any question, I will try my best to help you out.

this was amzing text style
v v v v v v v v v nice Effect
i am a great fan of your site its to good
i want to submit a tutorial how can i do that i need your reply

http://10steps.sg Johnson Koh

Very cool James. U r good in this!

anieng

nice,,
thx ^^

James

@Johnson: thanks buddy!

http://www.joyoge.com/ joyoge designers’ bookmark

nice text effect, thanks for the tut..

WOW

wow dude this is awsome

http://insanolabilmek.wordpress.com Abdurrahman

Nice effect, I did this effect and very to be was beautiful, thank you

Jaax

Hey mate, i was wondering if you could get in touch, i really need some help with some stuff about this cool style :)

Jaax

I was wondering if i could have an image made up for me, exactly like this one, but with the text saying “Emerge” because im only running version 7.0 and i can’t get the same kind of effects to it. =/

Flex developer

Your site is very good. There are useful information and most importantly, for sharing great. Thank you ….

ElectronicPastry

What version of PS are you running, James? I’m not sure if it makes much a difference with the issue I’m having or not. I’m using CS3 Extended, and I’ve followed the blending options for the text at the very beginning of the tut exactly, and I keep ending up with a darker, terrible looking text. I hope you can help out. If you want, I’ll use the same settings again and show you what I end up with.

/ Spetch

Ye ehm, i’ve got some problems with this one.. I cant get the “Splatter” effect or any other BEHIND the text, it´s growing above it.

also the Lines with the Pen tool is very very hard for me to do. Maybe you could give me a hint on theese ocne, since i´m not that advanced into photoshop.

-/Best Regards, SpeTch.!

http://www.wetinkpro.com Zac

Very well written.

jake santos

i cant do the step 3..what ps are u using with ds effect..?

the ctrl+alt+r is not working here in cs2..i dont know y..!

im not dat to familiar hir in ps ..!

CrimzonLabs

ElectronicPastry

Try a White to Light Grey gradient in the blending options.

Algwins

Yeah, I’m having exacltly the same problem as ElectronicPastry =/. What to do? All your other projects where fine, so why this one? Many thanks for the incoming and awaited answer :)

(Love your Tut’s, they’re amazing!)

Adam

Yea the CTRL+ALT+R doesn’t work in CS2, any other way to do this part, I’m new to Photoshop.

Hi, I’ve liked thi tutorial, but how can I do those lines? After drawing a line with a Pen tool, choosing stroke path option with ticked “simulate pressure”, the line is just getting thicker, width is the same at the beginning middle and at the and of the line, not like here. What should I do? Yo

http://tutorialblog.info/ tutorial blog

thank.

Good post

Erin S.

Wow! Thank you so much for this tutorial, it’s complete unlike most tutorials you find online and very thorough, so again, thanks!

Mark

Your tutorial was good, but is made for people with knowledge of photo shop (lack of explanation in some parts of the tutorial), certainly not for first timers

gradient

Your gradient style on the font is wrong. The one you have showing is a black gradient but then you show it being white. You made the same mistake in another tutorial as well

Rest

Why doesnt the Qbrushes work? its 404’ing :l

I need them

free fontz

absolutely stunning!

Jules

Thanks mate. Good one

Kashm1r

Very much THX !! love this effect !!!

Peter

Hi there, as many have stated issues with the blending options. There is definitely an error, because the resultin image is terrible. Please check the tutorial, becuase it does NOT work. It is a nice effect, but it’s worth of nothing if we cannot replicate it. Please fix the tutorial, or alternatively send me the .psd file, that I can examine it and update it for you.

Thank you.

Crayon ^_^

I Like Your Design in Text! I realy appreciate, and i love to see more of your works, very inspiartional. thanks a lot

Yusuf

I’ve try it N it works great . really THX . Keep it up . Show us more .

This tutorial is awesome and easy to understand, love it. Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.

Web Hosting

Nice effect! Thanks!

Taupo Accommodation

Cool paint brush effect :)

Building Inspections Auckland

You’re really good on this! Nice work :)

Mislav

Ok, It’s a great tutorial for someone who knows what he’s doing… Most of you don’t get the text right because you use different gradient…just make a lighter gradient and keep opacity of the gradient at 100%…if you can’t get the splatter brush effect behind the text you’re doing something wrong like…#1. you gradient opacity isn’t 100 %….#2 when you created a new layer called texture (step 5) you have to put it under the text and above the Background layer!…I hope it will help you somehow, And nice tut by the way :)

Dannyboy

I’m new to photoshop and i’ve got the the line point. Sadly my line doesn’t seems to be as good has his. Could anyone help me?

It appears to be the Opacity on the Gradient Overlay that he has not altered. I reduced mine down to 20% and had a damn close result if not the same result as what shows in step 3

Egene

how do you make that strokes on step 5 (The part where you use the pen tool) I keep getting the round ends instead of like that

http://www.psdvault.com PSD Vault

Hi, you need to tick “Simulate Pressure” before you apply the stroke.

http://www.shakur80s.net Shak

Which Brush stroke you have applied on the following step :-

Then select the option “Brush” and tick the “Simulate Pressure” option (Make sure set the brush size to 16px, with 100% hardness). Use the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl + T) and free transform it as shown below: